Guest speaker Mary Mihelich, assistant athletic director for promotions and marketing, gave a promotional talk about her department in front of Athletic Board members at Wednesday afternoon’s Athletic Board meeting.

Mihelich’s report included the goals of the department, its plans for the 1989-90 season and a look at a few activities going on now.

While they do not have a definite schedule of events for next year’s football season, Mihelich and her staff are planning on two trips for NIU fans, “Migrate to Nebraska” and “Migrate to Temple,” when the Huskies visit the two schools.

Mihelich also talked about a recent athletic event which proved to be a “first-year promotional” success. At last Friday’s NIU Southwest Airlines National Mixed Pairs Gymnastics Invitational, 1,852 tickets were sold. The number of NIU students included 1,361.

“Most people bought their tickets at the door,” Mihelich said, “so we had no idea what to expect. We were thrilled with the turnout.”

One turnout Mihelich was not so pleased with was an informational meeting about the formation of a Huskie Spirit Council. Mihelich said many students have expressed interest to her about getting students involved with NIU. However, when a meeting time was set to discuss the organization, not one person attended.

“We are going to start all over,” Mihelich said. “We are going to have a lot of speaking engagements and get the word out.”

Mihelich said that there are two goals for the council, which deals with students involvement only. One is to increase school spirit, and the second goal is to increase student attendance at sports events.

“If perceptions on the campus change,” Mihelich said, “then I consider the group to be successful. It would be a fun organization run like a student council in high school. We want to make this place look festive.”

The assistant AD, who has one graduate assistant, John Penny, and two interns working with her, said the promotions department operates off of a $26,000 budget which does not include salaries. She said the goal for her department is not necessarily increasing attendence at NIU athletic events but to increase revenue in the four revenue sports—football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball.

It is Mihelich’s job to get the message out about NIU athletics not only to the community but to the Northern Illinois area.

Not only is Mihelich in charge of promoting, but she looks for promoters as well. For example, radio networks covering the football games this season jumped from four to 11. The men’s basketball games will be covered by three radio networks.

In other business, guest speaker Leo Hensley, associate athletic director for development and communications, talked to the board members about a “new volunteer structure” known as the NIU Huskies Athletic Association. Hensley said this program will help raise funds, but it is not like a booster club in that it does not control money.

Assistant Athletic Director Cary Groth talked to committee members about the recent status of the Big Central Soccer Conference, a conference NIU belongs to. With the recent resignation of BCSC commissioner Jerry Ippoliti, many of the members’ ADs will get together and discuss the goals of the conference and improving organization within the conference.